Carson was in a horrible situation. She was currently strapped to a chair and being made to watch her brother be tortured. Black Mask was currently beating on James with brass knuckles on and had been doing so for the past twenty minutes. She had been forced to watch this barbarian beat on him ever since she had gotten here. Carson didn't know how James was even still conscious.
Black Mask was thoroughly enjoying himself. To him making James pay for all of the grief he has caused was poetic justice. By the time the siblings got to his compound James was unconscious, but he fixed that by giving him a high voltage shock that woke him up screaming. That was only the beginning of the fun he was going to have. In the hours that have passed James went through broken digits, higher voltage electric shocks, and physical abuse.
"Kid, you're tough. I can see why the Crow was such a nuisance, but that comes to an end. It won't be long before I reunite you with your bastard father. I just want to have some fun before the big finale." Roman gloated.
He then walked over to Carson with a slow predator like walk. With each step closer that he got Roman could see more and more dread come across Carson's face. When he made it to her he started to cackle evilly. He then caressed her face. She started to cry from how uncomfortable and scared he made her. All of her worst nightmares were coming true.
"Don't worry little girl, I won't hurt you. Hey, do you know how many women would kill to be in my crew. I take care of mine and starting tonight you belong to me. You'll learn to love it. I know your mother did. Just ask her yourself…she's right over there." He then pointed towards a dark corner in the room.
Out of the corner emerged none other than Carson and James's mother Agatha. Carson's face turned from sheer terror to pure rage. "Mom, you were there the entire time? You just sat there and let this madman do that to James. Oh, but why am I surprised; you've been letting him ruin our lives from the start. I hate you!"
Agatha had a look of pure shame. It had been so long since she had seen her children that she almost didn't recognize them at first. They had both grown so much in her eyes. It broke her heart to see them end up like this especially after all she tried to do to prevent this from happening.
Roman went to her and started to grope her in front of her children. "Agatha answers and belongs only to me; just like you do Carson. I'm going to make you both watch me kill James. He will be an example to everyone who dares to screw with me again!"
Agatha began to plead with Black Mask, "Roman you can't do this. You made a promise that they wouldn't be harmed. You swore-" she didn't get to finish as Roman hit her across her face. He sneered and pulled her up by her hair before growling at her.
"Don't you ever interrupt me again woman! If you do I swear I'll rip one of that boy's eyes out and feed it to your daughter, do I make myself clear?"
She nodded profusely out of fear for her children while spitting out an apology to Black Mask. Carson saw this and became incensed with fury. She was so angry that she started to shed tears. Carson was going to get this baggage off of her chest that she has been holding onto since her father died.
"Mom…you lying piece of trash. You used to always go off on what it means to be a mother by talking about family and sacrifice. You played us all like suckers huh! You're no real mother, you're a cancer. How dare you beg him for forgiveness! What about your husband who you left? Or what about me and James who you also abandoned? It was so easy for you to leave us, wasn't it? Why couldn't you choose us? Weren't we good enough for you, or did the fast life and drugs just prove too much of a temptation to resist. Darn you, I may have taken to dad more but that didn't mean that I didn't love you too! I knew all about your past and your struggles even from a young age. And after all of that, I still would have given anything in the world just to be half as brave as you were! Dad may have been my favorite, but mom you were always my hero!"
Agatha was stunned by her daughter's words. She had no reply to it. James knew all along about Carson's inner feelings. As much as she tried to pretend that she was over it, he knew that deep down she was still hurting and hoped that this confession could end her pain finally.
Black Mask looked on with a look of amusement. It was like he got to watch a soap opera on a big plasma screen television.
Carson wasn't done yet, "You know I'm glad I get to finally see you and the stupid look you have on your face after all of these years. I hope you're happy with yourself and your choices. You ruined our family, made dad commit suicide, and are about to get James killed! I was so wrong about you. I bet I could scour the entire Earth and not find any mother even a fraction as gutless as you! What was going through you're drugged up head when you left us! You're repulsive to me and I could never forgive you!"
She then turned her attention towards Black Mask, "I hate you even more Black Mask. Just looking at your face makes me absolutely sick! Seeing you destroy my family as if it was of no consequence to you makes me wanna puke. You are a revolting piece of trash with a diseased soul! You're pure evil and I can't wait to see the day when you're finally brought to justice for your crimes not just against my family, but against all of Gotham."
Roman laughed at her rant. "I'm sorry but am I supposed to take you serious while you're strapped to that chair. Please, maybe instead of being my girl I'll just make you my clown because you sure know how to make a guy laugh."
He then got serious and pulled out his gun, "Now that amateur hour is up," he then aimed it at James's head. "Let's start the real fun."
He was about to unload his clip into James when the power suddenly went out and all chaos ensued. James sprang out of his chair and tackled Black Mask to the ground while Agatha went to free Carson. Once they had got their bearings they scrambled out with the hope of finding an exit.
Black Mask got up, dusted his suit off, and picked his pistol back up. "I guess it's a game of cat and mouse; fine by me" he said with a sinister grin as he left to hunt his prey. He radioed his men to fix the power to the warehouse but got no response' only silence. He made note to do this quickly and escape as he figure that Batman must have come here for him. "You want me, well then come get me Bats! I'll be in the dark."
"The power grid has been completely shut down in your area Master Bruce." Alfred said.
"Good work." Bruce responded.
Batman and Crow surveyed the lay of the land from atop of a secluded rooftop. This place was swarming with armed guards so they figured that this has to be the place where Black Mask is holding Carson and James. Itachi did a quick scan with his sharingan so that he could form a plan.
"I count 40 men here. About ten of them are in that facility across from us, the rest are down below. It seems they were expecting us." Batman wondered how he did that so quickly but that was a question for another time. They first had to save the hostages and put Roman Sionis away for good.
"Do you have the location of Roman and the hostages?" Batman asked.
"I see four figures in the higher levels of that facility. That's most likely where Black Mask is holding them. The problem is that the only entrance seems to be through the lower levels that the 30 men outside are guarding." he answered.
"And with the ten men that are already inside, normal infiltration would prove to be problematic. The only way this works is if we slit up. One of us takes on the men outside while the other sneaks in and handles the guards in that warehouse station. We have to be in complete sync and we can't waste any time." Batman at this time wished Robin wasn't on a mission with his team. They could really use a third person right now.
"I agree with you…I'll take the men outside. It'll be easier for me. You use the distraction to make your way inside and when I'm done with them I'll catch up." Not waiting for a response Itachi leapt closer to get a better vantage point. He needed a way to get all of their attention at once so that Batman could sneak in undetected.
He spotted three black trucks and immediately came up with a way to distract them. He looked back at Batman who was waiting patiently back where they started and nodded. Batman then dropped to the ground level and began his infiltration. Crow, on the other hand, weaved the signs needed to begin his assault. "Fire Style! Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
He launched his volley of fireballs towards the trucks and set them ablaze. The blast knocked out all of the men that were close to them and, just as he predicted, he got all of their attention. The men turned and saw none other than the Crow himself which left all of them confused.
"It's the Crow!"
"But how? I thought we already got the Crow."
"What the hell? You should be dead by now."
"Who cares? Light the bastard up!" The last thug started shooting at Itachi, but he evaded masterfully and landed right in front of him. With a quick kick he sent the man flying and took him out of the fight. The rest of the men looked on scared.
After the initial shock, all of them men pounced on Itachi, or at least they tried to. Itachi was too fast for them to even touch him. One by one they fell by the wayside. In one sequence two men tried to rush him for both sides but were met with a spinning elbow and a palm strike to the neck. A man then tried to tackle Itachi when he thought he wasn't looking but got put into a genjutsu when Itachi turned and saw him, making him fall flat on the floor like a sac of rocks. More men came but it didn't even matter in the end.
One of the guards tried shooting Itachi with his automatic assault rifle, but was stopped when a kunai was thrown and lodged into his hand thus making him drop the weapon. Itachi then picked the gun up and swung down on him as hard as he could so that the clubbing blow could be heard by everyone in the area. He then picked up his unconscious body and threw towards a cluster of about seven men. When they were down, Itachi bore down on all of them and put them to sleep with his genjutsu.
In a matter of minutes 30 men got reduced to 15 and his goal of getting Batman inside safe was achieved. 'Now all that is left is to handle them and get Carson back.' He thought.
Multiple men started shooting at Itachi which caused him to summon a kunai and deflect the bullets. He then dashed forward to bulrush the thugs. The first man tried to throw a kick at Itachi but it was caught. Itachi then drove his elbow down hard on the man's leg and broke it. The thug cried out in pain before being incapacitated by an uppercut. Itachi then went to the next one and led with a side kick to the sternum that caused the goon to keel over. Itachi flipped over him and delivered a lunging punch to the guy standing behind him that landed cleanly and knocked him out cold. He then turned back around a delivered a chopping kick down on the back of neck of the thug that was keeled over.
Two more men tried to rush Itachi but made the mistake of looking him in the eye and being put in a genjutsu instantly. Fifteen men suddenly just became ten in less than two minutes.
"Enough is enough, you're done Crow!" A large man yelled while stepping forward. He was easily seven feet tall and weighed over 200 pounds. He towered over Itachi but there still was no fear in the eyes of the Crow.
The hulking man launched a slow yet powerful punch at Itachi that was dodged easily. Itachi then countered with two left jabs to the face and a strong right leg kick that was powerful enough to unbalance him. He then used his kunai and drove it down into the leg of the giant right in the upper thigh. The thug shouted in pain while dropping to a knee. He flailing around violently but Itachi countered by yanking his kunai out and leaping high into air to dodge the attack while causing more damage.
While in the air he saw the rest that had stayed back from the brawl were prepping a bomb, the same type of bomb that he got caught by earlier in the day at the park. 'Not this time, I'm ready for it now.' He thought.
They launched it into the area Itachi was fighting in, but Itachi threw his kunai at it before it got too far into the air and caused it to detonate early. In one smooth motion Itachi landed and used a monkey flip on the still down giant to roll him until the giant was covering him like a human shield to take all of the damage from the concussion bomb.
Once it was safe Itachi threw the now unconscious giant off of him and turned his attention to the dazed men. It was child's play for Itachi to knock them all out since they weren't even in control off all of their senses. When the last of the men fell, Itachi dashed to the warehouse to assist Batman and save Carson from Black Mask.
Batman was currently one floor underneath the squadron on men inside of the warehouse. Thanks to the Crow he got in with any hiccups and now had the jump on these thugs. He could see that they were all in a circle thanks to the detective mode in his suit and planned his attack accordingly. He aimed his grapple gun upwards and set it to mach 4 instead of it's usually mach 2 setting. He then blasted through the ceiling, grabbed one of the stunned men, and drove him head first into the ceiling above them. Batman landed and launched three batarangs at the thugs which hit their marks and took them out. The rest of the six men then started shooting at Batman but he was too quick for them and managed to evade all of the shots.
He reset his grapple gun to normal and shot it at one of the men. He then pulled the caught man towards him and delivered a devastating clothesline that sounded like it caved his chest in. The rest of the five all tried to jump in but Bruce's knowledge of martial arts subdued them quickly. Even though it was 5-on-1, Bruce was able to stand his ground and control the fight. He caught a random punch and with his vice grip, used it to swing the man at one of his cohorts making it 3-on-1 instead of five. The three men all pulled out knives and tried to stab Bruce who countered with his gauntlets to jam the blades out of their hands.
Batman went on the offensive when front kicked one of them in the head, tossed the other through the wall next to them, and connected with a critical overhand punch that sent the last thug head first into the ground. He was about to forge ahead when he heard guns being cocked behind him. The two goons that were thrown out of the 5-on-1 fight early were behind Batman, both armed with shotguns and cocky smiles.
"We got you now Bats. Any last words before you lose your head?" the thug asked.
"Look out behind you…" Batman answered.
"Do we look stupid to you?! We will blast your head-" He never got to finish because he suddenly was pulled into the dark behind him. He cried out in fear and pain but it stopped as soon as it began.
His partner turned to see what happened but immediately recognized that he made a huge mistake; you don't turn your back on Batman. He was then met with the angriest looking scowl that he had ever seen. He was then kneed in the body and dealt a hard two handed hammer fist to the back of his head. Batman then finished him by raining down three more hammer fists to his head. He stopped when the thug's now incapacitated partner was thrown at his feet with the Crow following suite.
"You're against killing, but severe brain trauma is perfectly fine with you." Itachi stated dryly.
Batman chose not to respond to his comment. Itachi used his sharingan to scan the warehouse they were in.
"Looks like Black Mask and the others are quite a few levels above us." Itachi inquired.
"This place is almost as big as a factory so we have to move fast." Batman responded. They both dashed away in hopes of finding them before Black Mask really crosses the line by killing someone.
Black mask was searching through the complex hoping to find his prey. He knew they couldn't have gone too far, but he still wanted to get this done early so he could escape Batman's wrath. He enjoyed the chase if he was being honest. It makes killing them all the sweeter.
He heard footsteps and decided to follow the source of the sound. It led him to an empty office that was shrouded in darkness. He smiled knowing that he had just caught one of them because as soon as he walked in he heard shuffling inside. He slowly stalked round the room and elected to play some mind games.
"You know this brings me back to my childhood. My father was abusive towards me when I was a child, something about making me a man. He'd beat, starve, and strap me to an empty bed frame and 'poke around inside'. My father would even wear an executioner's mask when he'd torture me as if it was all just role play to him. I wanted to die, but he wouldn't let me. I spent several years in hell because of him. He made me who I am today." He said while reflecting.
Carson was the unfortunate soul that was stuck in this office with Black Mask. They got separated after escaping; the darkness was tough to navigate through. When she heard footsteps she panicked, ran into the first room she saw, and hid under a desk. Now she was lamenting the fact that she's being forced to listen to this man's back-story before dying.
"The only reason I survived was because I let myself go insane. The body can only take so much pain before the mind shatters. I created a persona that allowed me to escape the real world and create a better one, one where my father didn't exist. When I turned eighteen, I burned my house to the ground, killing both my father and my mother while they slept. I had to cleanse myself of all my past attachments as Roman Sionis. My ascension wasn't complete until after their funeral though. During the ceremony I didn't even cry once. In fact, I actually laughed through the whole ceremony, I was finally free to show Gotham the same hell I had been shown. After they were buried I dug them up with my bare hands, my father had one last gift to bestow upon me; my mask. I used his casket to carve it and now it's my face, my true face!"
Carson was horrified. 'No wonder this man is so vile, it's all that he knows. Hatred only breads more hatred, and this demon is the human embodiment of hate. It's like he's reveling in the pain of his childhood; he really is insane,' she thought.
"You know there were times when my father would pretend to let me go free and run away, just so he could hunt for me like how I am hunting you. It was another one of his games. Each time he did it, he would sing while on the prowl. It was the same song every time because he knew that song terrified me because of the threat of its lyrics. Every time I was caught, I was beaten to within an inch of my life, and ultimately tortured till I passed out. The song went like this;
O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little hands what you do
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little mouth what you say
O be careful little mouth what you say
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little mouth what you say"
Carson was now beyond scared, she was horrified. She clearly got the frightening subliminal message behind the song lyrics; be careful what you see, say, and do because you're always being watched. Her breathing was becoming rushed, it was like she was silently hyperventilating because of how creepily he sang the lyrics to a children's Sunday school song, and because he was hovering right above the desk she was under. She heard a gun click and an evil cackle, "Found you."
Just as he was about to shoot though, a scuffle was heard across the room and Roman shot three times in that direction. He paused for a few moments to see if he hit anything before rats scurried out of the corner he shot at. He shrugged, "I must be losing my touch at this, oh well."
He looked under the desk and saw nothing was there. Disappointed, he left out while singing that song out loud again. When his voice faded away Carson emerged from her new hiding spot behind a nearby couch and tried to calm herself down, but it was to no avail. She looked at the corner that he shot at but decided not to investigate what the noise was. She told herself it was because it was just rats and that her family was safe, but in the back of her mind she was worried that she was wrong.
She went out of the room and saw a trail of blood leading up the stairs. Even in the dark, the crimson liquid stood out to her. 'He must be following it. NO! It's gonna lead him straight to James,' she thought in a panic as she dashed to save her brother.
James finally made it to the roof. He had gotten separated from his mother and sister after the blackout, he had no idea if they were safe. While wandering in the dark he suddenly heard gunshots fired below him. He didn't have time to think so he dashed for the roof, all with the hope of luring Black Mask into one final confrontation.
He waited and prayed that his family was alright, and after a few minutes went by Black Mask showed up to the roof with him. "The chase is over little mouse, I have you now." he said.
"You've been a thorn in my family's side for years now, it ends here!" James replied as he charged forward.
Roman grinned and decided to indulge in this fist fight. James still didn't have use of his hands thanks to his torture, but that wouldn't stop him from fighting till the better end. He launched himself full force at Black Mask and tackled him to the ground. He then unleashed a flurry of ground strikes hoping to end the fight early. Roman used his considerable size advantage to bully James to his back and start wailing on him with heavy punches. Since he had all of his rings on, it was like Roman had brass knuckle which doubled the damage.
The fight didn't last long and before he knew it, James was an even more bloody mess. Roman picked him up by his lapels and delivered a hard head-butt to James who landed face down on the ground. Roman started kicking him in the ribs again repeatedly to add insult to injury. It wasn't until James started coughing up large amounts of blood that Roman ceased his onslaught.
"I know it hurts kid, but these are the consequences that you have to suffer through," Roman then pulled out his pistol. "If it's any consolation to you, I'm sorry…sorry I didn't do this from the start!"
Roman was about to kill James when Carson came running up to the scene. "Stop! Leave my brother alone!"
"And why should it do that? Just because you asked nicely for it?"
"No…you'll stop because I'll willingly go with you and your aspirations. I won't fight back. Just please, don't kill my brother. He's all I have left…" she said dejectedly.
Roman looked at her and could tell she was serious about her offer. He had déjà vu about it because it was an exactly repeat of how his meeting with Agatha went before she joined him. "You're just like you're mother…she begged me too."
"Begged you to do what exactly?" she said with a look of apprehension and confusion.
"She begged me not to kill you, just like how you just begged me not to kill him. You even made the same offer she did all those years ago; to be mine."
Carson felt her face go pale. Her mother didn't abandon her family, she was taken from them.
'He must have threatened to kill us unless she left with him…all these years I thought she was living the high life when she was really protecting us. I'm such a fool.' she realized.
"Who knows, you might be more of a good time than your mother ever was. Yeah, I like the sound of that. But," Roman then shot James in his leg, "I was gonna do that anyways, before you opened your mouth about it. So my answer is no deal."
He then turned to put James out of his misery but to his dismay, a batarangs knocked his gun from his hand. He saw that Batman had joined them on the roof and was looking scarier than usual.
"Your tyranny ends now."
Itachi was completing his sweep of the building before joining everyone on the roof. He told Batman to go on ahead of him because he wanted to search for whoever the fourth hostage was. He made it to an office room and searched to place with his sharingan. He saw that a person was slumped over in a corner of the room. He took a step towards the person and saw that they were injured badly, probably from the gunshot that was heard earlier.
As he made it to them, he saw that it was a woman. She was looking pale, but surprisingly she was alive in spite of the blood loss. He tried to talk to her and put her at ease,
"It's going to be alright, paramedics are on the way. Batman and I will make Black Mask pay for his crimes."
She looked at him but gave no response. Itachi figured that with that gunshot wound to her side it would be tough to form a proper response. He used his hand to apply pressure to help stop the bleeding, but the damage had already been done. She motioned for him to stop wasting his time. She was going to die and they both knew it.
He kept quiet; nothing he could say would make her feel better. He was about to leave to finish Black Mask when she reached out to grab his hand.
"Wait…please take me to…my children. I…have to protect…them." She said between shallow breathes.
Itachi felt sorry for her. As much as he wanted to do this one favor to this woman he knew that wasting more time wasn't an option. There were lives that were depending on him to save them.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. There are people still in danger here and if I don't do something they could die. I wish the circumstances were different."
She started crying, "Please…those people in danger are…my children. Please…I don't want to die…before telling them the truth. I-I owe them that…for all of the hell I put them through."
He paused when she said her children were the ones in danger. He then realized who he was talking to, "You must be Carson's mother…you're Agatha."
Batman didn't waste any time in going after Black Mask. After he disarmed him with his batarang, the fight became quickly one-sided. Roman pulled out his switchblade to try and help improve his chances against the vigilante, even if only by a little bit. He swung at Batman furiously but nothing would land. Each time he'd swipe at him, Batman would parry or block him. Batman then would follow up with swift counterstrikes after each block. Seeing an opening, Bruce kicked the blade out of Roman's hand thus ending the fight. Roman was getting desperate, he threw a punch at Batman but it was caught easily. He tried to pull his hand free from Batman's grip, but it was like he had a vice grip on it. It wouldn't budge no matter how hard he pulled. Batman kicked at Roman's legs causing him to fall, and then started beating him savagely until he was submissive.
After it was all said and done, Batman zip-cuffed his hands behind his back and effectively ended his reign over this city. He walked over to check on Carson and James. James had suffered through a lot and it was a miracle he was even alive. Carson was looking over her brother when she felt the presence of Batman.
'He must have beaten Black Mask…good.' shethought.
"The police should be arriving any moment, you're brother is going to be alright." he assured.
She then stared at Black Mask as he was lying on the floor in pain from the beating he took.
"And what about him? What's going to happen to that bastard?"
"He will stand trial for everything that he has done, him and his men. I'll see to it that he never threatens Gotham again."
She exhaled when she heard that the monster responsible for the destruction of her family and others would finally face justice gave her a sense of peace. She kept applying pressure on James's gunshot wound to stop the bleeding. He was in a lot of pain and was barely conscious. Batman kneeled down and provided assistance to her.
"The bullets seems to have gone clean through his leg. It looks like he was shot in his shoulder as well, but I don't see an exit wound there…start applying pressure to his shoulder while I stay by his leg. He will need surgery to remove the bullet."
He then observed the rest of James's injuries. 'Roman put this boy through hell tonight. Had I not shown up, he would most certainly be dead by now.'
Carson then remembered that her mother was with them when she escaped, "Batman, did you happen to see my mother on your way up here? Is she safe? Is she alright?"
Batman didn't answer her. He went straight for Black Mask and left finding the fourth hostage to the Crow. He was about to tell her when a voice was heard behind them.
"She's right here." They all turned to see the Crow carrying Carson's mom in his arms. She didn't look well at all. She looked extremely pale in fact. Itachi laid her down beside her family and they saw why she looked so bad; she was shot and losing a lot of blood. Batman gave him a look trying to confirm her status when Itachi shook his head and he knew exactly what that meant; she was dying.
Carson saw the blood, but was in denial about it, "I don't understand. When did you get shot? The only time I heard his gun go off was when I was hiding in that office," she gasped. "When he shot at that dark corner…that was you?"
Agatha nodded at her daughter. 'That means she must have made that sound on purpose…to save me. And how do I repay her, by leaving her to bleed alone in the dark. I'm such a fool.'
Carson started to cry hysterically. The guilt she felt was too much. James saw the condition his mother was in and started crying too. Agatha held her hand up to cup her daughter's face. She always hated seeing Carson cry. Her breathing was getting worse.
"It's alright. If being like this…means you get to live then…sign me up. Stop…stop crying for trash like me. I…don't deserve it."
Carson reached up and took hold of her mother's hand. It felt so cold to her. James looked on feeling like he had failed his family. The look of shame was clear on his face. Agatha saw this and spoke to him.
"James…none of this is your fault. I-I did this. I'm sorry…sorry for how I treated you. When you first arrived…I was scared…because it was another person my husband would love…more than me. Eventually, that fear…turned to jealously…and then to hate. I was wrong. Please…forgive me. I love you…my son."
James nodded his head. He fought to form words. It warmed his heart to hear his mother call him her son. In the end, he kept his reply short, "I love you too mom."
Agatha smiled and started crying. She then turned back to Carson to tell the truth. "I...never wanted to leave. Roman…he threatened you all. Said that…that if I didn't leave with him…he'd kill you. I couldn't live with that…so I left. I'm…sorry. I…filled you with so much hate. When you saw me...back then…and I ignored you…my heart broke. I never wanted you to see me like that. When I heard…that Gerry had passed…I wanted to die. I loved him...with all of my heart. I should have been with him. I…failed him."
Carson shook her head, "No. He loved you even after it happened. We all did."
"You…don't have to lie. I heard…what you said earlier. You were right. I am a horrible mother. But know this…if I only did one this right in my life…it was making you Carson. You…are my heart. You…don't ever have to forgive what I did because I will…always love you."
Carson smiled through her tears. It took a while but, even for a little bit, she got her mother back. "I love you too mom. You're still my hero."
That made Agatha smile in peace, "Take care of each other. You and James…only have each other now. I wish…I wish I could stay but it looks like I get to see Gerry soon. I…have a lot to explain for…I hope he forgives me."
"He will mom. We all forgive you."
"I-I am glad to hear that. Carson, please do me one favor. If…you find someone you care enough about to love…don't let that person go. Even if…the world itself is pulling you apart…stay strong and true to yourself. Love is beautiful…and I can't wait for the day when you experience it yourself. Carson…James…I…I…" she never got to finish as she died midsentence.
Carson started crying harder but kept her smile. James closed her eyes hears so that she may finally be at peace. Itachi and Batman stood far off watching the scene. Both of them felt for this family. They were about to turn and leave when an evil laugh was heard. It came from Roman Sionis.
"Well would you look at that. I didn't mean to kill the whore but stuff happens. I guess really locks up that Carson will take her place when I get out of jail. I run this city! Blackgate can't hold me for more than a month."
Carson and James looked on horrified. Batman ignored the defeated crime lord's empty threats but Itachi had other plans. He leered down on him as it started to thunderstorm around him. Roman needed to be taught a lesson.
"You won't touch them. If you do I'll give you a fate worse than death." He threatened.
"So what if I was wrong about you being that brat James, it doesn't change a thing so stop it punk. You can't do anything to me. Batman scares me more than you ever could and he can't even grow a big enough pair to kill me. Amateur hour is over kid so shut the hell-," he was stopped when Itachi lifted him u by his throat till they were eye to eye. After a few moments Itachi was confused on why Black Mask wasn't under his control. Roman laughed at him.
"I bet you're wondering why you little eye trick isn't working. News flash, this mask isn't a normal one. I made it out of my father's casket and had it sewn on to my face! It is my face! It covers everything; my past, my sanity, even my eyeballs. I know you can't do that trick without eye contact…I do my research." He said with an arrogant look on his face.
Itachi tilted his head and then proceeded to crush Roman's throat. Roman's mouth was filled with blood now. Itachi then inched closer and whispered to him, "You talk too much for such a weak man. I don't need eye contact to use that 'trick'. I only need to point at you."
Roman's eyes bulged out in fear as Itachi used his free hand to point at Roman and put him under his genjutsu. Roman soon found himself back into his old childhood room. It was the very room he would get tortured in for the majority of his youth. He then heard his father walking up the stairs as the room got dark. What sent him under the edge was his father was singing signaling that this would be his 'fun session'.
He started to panic but crows came out of nowhere and morphed into restraints that held him tightly to his bed. Another crow flew into his mouth and moments later, Roman felt his lips start to seal shut. He couldn't scream or cry out. His father opened the door and had just finished singing his favorite verse; 'be careful little eyes what you see.' Roman's eyes saw the most horrific sight ever when his dad came into view. His dad wore a mask, but not his normal mask whenever he was abusive. This time it was Roman's Black Mask. He leered down at his son before grinning as he started fiddling with his torture devices, "Time for the fun to start Roman. Today is the day I make you a man. It's time to face your fears ROMAN!"
Roman then started screaming uncontrollably out of terror outside of the genjutsu before Itachi knocked him out. Batman saw the broken mess Roman was in and sighed. Itachi felt no sympathy for the thug and walked away.
"He won't be touching them. When he wakes up he'll too afraid of his father to try anything ever again." Crow then disappeared into the night. Just as he left, the police had arrived to the scene. Batman saw this and decided he too would leave but not before offering his condolences to Carson and James.
"I'm sorry about your mother." He then shot away into the night before either of them could respond.
It wouldn't be hours until Carson would finally make it back home. James was still in Gotham General getting treated for his injuries. She would still be there but he told her to go home and get some rest. The police commissioner himself offered her a ride, which she accepted. She got in her apartment and saw all of the damage Black Mask had done. She saw how blood was everywhere. She sat on her couch with a blank look on her face.
She was glad to see that thug get his comeuppance and see him in cuffs while screaming 'Dad please stop hurting me' over and over. She didn't feel an inch of sympathy for him even after finding out he was abused as a child. She didn't know how to feel about her mother dying. She was happy that her mom would finally be at peace, but sad that now she really did only have James.
She started crying again from the weight of it all crashing down on her. After a while she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Itachi standing there beside her. She leapt into his arms and balled her eyes out. He stood there holding her as she coped with everything that had just happened.
"Itachi…I…my mom died and my brother is in the hospital right now. I was so scared tonight. I thought I was going o die. Itachi I didn't know if you were safe. The last I saw you was when I was snatched up and you were bleeding on the ground. Black Mask…I mean Roman Sionis is in bars but, I still feel like I'm the one captive. Itachi…I'm so…I'm so-" Itachi stopped her before she started hyperventilating.
"I'm sorry about your mother and brother. My mom is dead too so I know how you feel," she was shocked to hear this. "I won't tell you it gets better with time because it won't; it will always hurt. But I can say that you will get stronger from this. I know you can bounce back…I believe in you Carson."
She stopped crying but still held onto him. She remembered her mother's last words before dying about when she found love. 'What if I already have?' she asked silently in her head.
She would eventually lie on the couch and fell asleep. With Itachi with her she didn't feel as hurt as she did before. Despite everything that transpired that night, she slept peacefully. Itachi sighed as he held her because deep down he knew what he needed to do to keep her safe. He needed to leave before something like this could ever happen to her again.
It was like Gotham had new life after the fall of Roman Sionis. In the following weeks Gotham has seen a steep decrease in its crime rates. After their leader fell, the rest of the False Face Society soon joined him. Blackgate was filled thanks to the combined efforts of Batman, Crow, and James Gordon.
Itachi mostly worked on his own, but there were nights where he and Batman worked the same beat, at which they soon realized they had great chemistry. Itachi found it ironic because of how different their fundamental philosophies were. Batman believed there was a line that people of their ilk should never cross; to never kill. Itachi believed that sacrifice for the greater good has no limits. If saving a billion lives meant he had to kill a million of them, he'd do it for the sake of his loved ones if there were no other options. It really made Itachi reevaluate the extreme methods of his past. The biggest difference between Itachi now and the Itachi from years ago is that he's more willing to put his faith in others, he'd no longer take the choice away from them.
Itachi was standing over a building overlooking Gotham when he felt Batman walk up behind him, "What do you want?"
"The real question is what do you want? What's your goal in doing this?" Batman asked.
"To keep the peace and protect those close to me, that's all I care about."
"If that's really the case then you'll join the Justice League. Our league was formed with the sole protecting everything that is close to us and the entire world. You can't do it alone, I hope you know that."
"I do. Someone precious to me was only saved because I started putting my faith in others. To think otherwise would be arrogant and irresponsible of me."
"So is that a yes?" Itachi stayed silent. He really didn't know how to answer. He knew the right thing to do was to say yes, but the last few teams he's been on all died tragically. He also had to think of Carson, who was still grieving. He knew he couldn't stay with her forever, but he just didn't want to leave while she was in a vulnerable spot.
Batman felt the hesitation and gave an olive branch. "You don't have to know the answer now, just think about it. After enough time has passed, I'll seek you out and you had better have an answer then."
Batman then started to walk away but not before imparting one word of advice, "I don't know who you're protecting by doing this, but be prepared for what happens should you fail. Loss can change a man for the better, or for the worse. Also, keep your distance. If your enemies even suspect that someone may be close to you, they will become targets."
Batman then disappeared from the roof leaving Itachi to himself again. Itachi had a lot to think about but one thing wasn't for debate; he had to leave Carson immediately.
The next day was the funeral of Agatha Collins. It happened earlier in the day. A lot of Carson's friends came to support her in her time of need. Artemis, Carla, even the too smart for school Tim Drake attended. James was there as well, still bandaged up from his night in hell with Black Mask. There was only one person though that she wanted to see but was never there; Itachi.
He never showed up. She waited for him to walk through that door, but as more and more faces came in she quickly lost hope. It broke her heart that someone she really cares about would abandon her like this. Throughout the whole service she had a numb look on her face and everybody knew it. They would try to comfort her but she shrugged them off, not even her brother got through to her.
Even when seeing her mom being lowered into the ground, Carson didn't show any outward expression of her emotions. When it was all over, James thanked everyone for coming on their behalf. The Army paid for the funeral and for his squadron to come and support him. It was a kind gesture that didn't go unnoticed by the siblings. They soon left the cemetery and headed back home in a limousine. When they arrived home, the scene was solemn.
James left out to meet with a superior of his and Carson sat on the couch still numb. She looked at the blank television screen for what felt like hours before she snapped. She started to wail out of grief of her mother being dead. It wasn't long before her door opened and someone came in to check on her. Much to Carson's disappointment the person wasn't Itachi; it was Artemis. They sat together and shared a cry.
After garnering the courage, Carson asked what was really on her mind, "Why didn't he show up? I needed his support but he never showed."
Artemis really felt sympathy for her friend, "I don't know Carson. When I woke up he was already gone and when I got back my mom said he never returned. He must have his reasons though."
"What reason could he have for not coming to my mother's funeral? I understand he's not very transparent with his feelings, but what about me? I just needed his support, but he never showed up." she said bitterly.
"That's something you have to ask Itachi yourself. I know you like him…like him like him. Don't act so surprised, you're horrible at hiding it. Just give him a chance okay. He may be going through as much as you are."
"How? My mother died not his." Carson retorted. "That's true Car, but remember that his friend is in pain. Some people handle that by distancing themselves…don't let him do that. Go find him."
"But I don't know where he's at. He can be so stoic and secretive with what he does…" she said depressingly. Artemis shook her friend jokingly. "So you mean to tell me that after all of this time that you haven't picked up on his habits? I know you have so just think about it…where does he like to go when he wants to be alone?"
"He likes going to the Wayne Botanical Gardens, over by the ponds. I'll look there for him."
"Do you want me to go with you, for support?" Artemis asked.
"No, I have to do this alone." Carson then got up and hugged her friend one last time. "Thank you for coming."
"No problem, I'm always right across the hall should you need me." Carson smiled and left out to find Itachi and get everything she really felt off of her chest.
Artemis looked on in sadness. She had a feeling this wouldn't end the way Carson wanted it to. She's only known him for a short while but from what she has gathered so far this much she knows for sure; Itachi can be blunt and ruthless when he needs to be.
It was the dead of night and Itachi was staring at the pond. He finished making his nightly rounds in the city early and decided to reflect on things. He mostly thought about Carson and what to do about her. He had no desire to leave her since she's become so important to him. She's not like most people that he's ever met, on both worlds. Everyone he's met treated either him like he was special or like he was a time bomb. Everyone has feared or hated him at one point or another. It's been like that since he was a child.
But not Carson, she's only viewed him with warmth ever since they met. She reminds him of Izumi, his lover from the past. She also viewed him with warmth and always found a way to make him smile. He missed her a lot and wished things would have ended differently. He never wanted to kill her, but Danzo made his mission clear; everyone dies, even the innocent.
Only his brother was spared, if you could even call it that. Living a life full of hurt, hate, and revenge doesn't seem like a pleasant life, but Itachi made that choice without hesitation. He was forced to choose between life and death for his clan; he was judge and executioner, but the jury fell to Danzo. He took choice out of the equation, only the results mattered to him.
Now it's like he's found himself in the same situation with Carson. As much as he wants to give her the choice, only the results matter in the end. Itachi was the judge and executioner, but the Crow was the jury. He'd rather take her choice away and see her live a fulfilling, happy life than give her a choice and see her die because of him. He's had enough dead people on his conscious already.
"Itachi?" He heard her voice come up from behind him. 'It seems fate wants this done now.' He thought.
Carson had finally found him, but something seemed off to her. His demeanor wasn't like how it usually was and for some reason she all of a sudden felt cold. She started walking up to him when he turned to face her. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the look he was giving her; it was ruthless and devoid of any emotion.
"Is everything okay? We can talk if that's what you want?" he didn't give a response. It was like he was staring into her soul and judging her. She continued on hoping to find the cause of all of this.
"I'm worried about you. You've been acting so distant to me lately. You rarely visit and when you do it's like you're not even all the way there. And what's with you missing my mother's funeral? I needed you and you let me down. Now I come her searching for you and all I get is this death stare…what's going on Itachi?!"
They stood there staring at one another. Carson visibly showed how hurt and concerned she was. Despite seeing this, Itachi still had a cold, ruthless look on his face. After what seemed like an eternity Itachi finally answered her.
"Leave and never show your face to me again." He said coldly.
"Excuse me? What did you just say?" Carson said not believing what she had just heard.
"You and I are done. Go home."
"You must be joking. Look, I don't know what's going through your head, but if you think I'll just leave after a comment like that you got another thing coming."
"Do I look like I'm joking? Leave, don't make me say it again." He then activated his sharingan.
She saw his eyes and knew that he was serious. She knew he had special abilities but, not to this extent. His eyes made him look like so scary to her. He took a step forward and she responded by taking one backward. She was genuinely terrified of him now.
"Itachi stop! You're really scaring me. Why are you doing this? I thought…I thought we had a special connection; a bond. Why are you trying to push me away and break that bond?" she asked with tears in her eyes.
"Because of how weak you are Carson. You're so weak I don't even feel sorry for you anymore. You are such a foolish woman. This bond that you feel means nothing to me. You mean nothing to me."
She never felt so hurt by words in her life. She felt her heart break in two. She leered at him with hurt and rage in her eyes and did the only thing she could think of; she ran. She ran home as fast as she could because staying and facing this monster would mean she'd have to accept that the Itachi she cared about was gone, like he was never there at all. And she would never accept that because her feelings for him are real, they have always been real to her.
She ran back home with tears in her eyes as Itachi looked on stoically. He knew this had to be done, but it still didn't make seeing the hurt and anger on Carson's face any easier. He teleported away to follow Carson at a distance to make sure that she made it home safely. When she did get home, she cried herself to sleep as Itachi watched on from the rooftop across from her building.
Artemis joined him on the rooftop soon after she fell asleep. "What did you say to her? I've never seen her so devastated before."
"I told her what she needed to hear. I want her safe…staying away from me will keep her safe."
"Yeah, but at what cost. You really hurt her." She said sadly.
Itachi remained unreadable. The last time he had to do something like this was when Sasuke walked in on him after he had just killed their parents. Both times he had to lie and both times the victims left hating him in the end.
"What's your next move?" she asked.
He didn't answer. He looked like he was deep in thought.
"I hope that you're right about this and that it's worth it to you. You're my friend Itachi and I trust you. You've proven that you truly are a good guy and a hero. I just wish I could have been there to help you and Batman catch Black mask. If I had, maybe Carson's mom would still be here."
He turned and nodded at her. He really appreciated that she still supported him. She smiled and gave him one of her arrows. He eyed it weirdly wondering what the purpose of it was.
"It's like a homing beacon. I don't want what happened with Black Mask to ever happen again. So if you or I ever need help we'll press the button on the arrow and go to the location. At least this way we have a means of communication should trouble arise."
He put the arrow in the seal of his wrist and turned back to look over Carson's sleeping form. Artemis shook her head the arrow disappearing in a puff of smoke and walked back home. She started mumbling about him possibly being a magician.
He continued looking on hoping that he made the right choice in pushing Carson away.
Elsewhere Batman was on his batcomputer. He was starting a file on the Crow. His butler Alfred walked up to him with a tray of tea and a look that read 'not again'.
"Sir, don't you think that this can wait until tomorrow?" Alfred asked.
"No, it can't. I need as much information on him as possible for my evaluation." Bruce replied.
"Evaluation? Please don't tell me you still plan on fighting this man."
"No…I don't. I plan on recruiting him to the League. I already offered the invitation."
"And what was his answer?"
"He didn't have one. I didn't expect him to. I anticipated that he'd be reluctant to join."
"How did you anticipate that? And why ask if you knew the answer would be no in the end?"
"I anticipated it because he's a lot like me. When out in the field with him I made mental notes on him. The way he thinks, fights, and operates fall in line with my styles. He has advanced combat skills and more than ample enough of battle experience. He'd be a great addition to the League. I asked him, despite knowing that he'd likely answer not, to put he thought in his head. He's going to think about it and that's good enough for now."
"What makes you so sure that he'll say yes eventually?" Alfred inquired. His ward's interest in this vigilante made him curious. "Because he has people that he wants to protect. Sooner or later just like me, he'll realize that the best way to do that is with the League. I don't have any doubts about it."
Alfred smiled at his wards confidence, "If you are this confident then so am I Master Bruce."
He left Bruce to continue working on his files. 'If Bruce has confidence in this Crow fellow than so do I.' he thought while walking back to the mansion.
Elsewhere James was having another secret meeting with his superiors over at ARGUS. He was there to provide a report on his findings of the break in the multiverse.
"Major Collins, it's good to see that you are alright. That fiasco with Sionis had us worried for a moment."
"Thank you for the concern Director Waller. I have information on that breach that occurred a while back." James replied.
"Let me have it." Amanda replied.
"It is confirmed that something did come out of the breach, or a person I should say. I am fairly certain that the masked vigilante known as the Crow emerged from it."
"How are you so sure?"
"The timing…everything matches up perfectly. No word or record of a Crow vigilante was found before the breach, but afterwards his name was soon mentioned everywhere in the underground circuit."
"What's your assessment of him? Is he a threat?" she asked. James closed his eyes and remembered reading all of the hospital reports of the thugs he assaulted and injured. He remembered what he did to Black Mask, who was still in the medical wing of Arkham getting treatment for his mental breakdown. He didn't like any of his work because of the nature of his power and because of what would happen if he turned on innocent civilians.
"Ma'am, it is my assessment that the vigilante known as the Crow is an omega level threat and should be dealt with immediately to reduce the possible threat he poses to civilians." he said with conviction.
Amanda Waller nodded her head. "It looks like we're going to have to expedite the development of Project Super-clone. It's time we fight fire with fire."
James saluted her, "Ma'am, Yes Ma'am!"
That's it for this chapter and saga of the story. Next chapter will be Itachi's first introduction to the team. Thank you to all of the readers who continue support this story. I truly appreciate your feedback and reviews, even the mean one that told people not to read this story, LOL. I wanna give a special shout-out to 502nckster. You were really encouraging and I thoroughly enjoyed messaging you about ideas for the story. I hope you like the chapter! Once again I wanna thank all you! Until next time guys and gals!